


Locksley and Verrinto

by Lilly_Riches



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: Agender!Logan, Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Animals, Genderfluid!Patton, King!Deceit, M/M, People Have Powers, Polyamory, Prince!Roman, Talking Animals, genderbent, let's do this, they also have cute guide animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:36:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly_Riches/pseuds/Lilly_Riches
Summary: Back a hundred thousand years ago, Azalea Locksley founded the Kingdom of Locksley. Then a war started, causing Locksley to be split in two. The kingdoms of Verrinto and Locksley have been sworn enemies ever since.Prince Roman Locksley hopes to change that.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a chance. I hope I don't disappoint! Enjoy!

Roman groaned as he read his history book. All of this was already taught to him, why did he have to read it year after year? They did it just to torture the poor prince. Obviously. But luckily, after this, he would get to see how the knights in training were doing. His favorite was a girl they called Tex, short for Texannen. Not only was she the best knight they had, she was a great friend, if sarcastic at times. The two had been best friends since birth, and Roman wouldn’t have it any other way. She was gorgeous-Roman wouldn’t settle for less-but Roman didn’t swing that way, and neither did Tex. She actually had a girlfriend who was one of the nurses at the castle. Jessamine was very sweet, and her sister was nice as well, but Roman didn’t know either very well. He was the prince after all, he had responsibilities. 

“Roman Locksley, you need to pay attention!” His tutor snapped. Mr. Nanin wasn’t as nice as he seemed when his mom was around. The two did not like each other one bit. 

“I already know all of this, why can’t I just go?” Roman groaned. “The best way for me to learn how to lead is by practicing leading, not sitting here, reading books that hold information I’ve known all my life.” Roman knew he’d win the battle. He was the prince, if he demanded it, it would be handed to him. Mr. Nanin knew this, but wouldn’t go down without a fight. Roman swore his life’s work was to make Roman as miserable as possible. Today, however, was different. 

“Alright, Your Majesty. But I must warn you, the knights in training aren’t training anymore.” Roman looked at Mr. Nanin, searching for a lie. He wasn’t. “One of the castle staff is being charged with treason. The baby knights-” Roman growled. Mr. Nanin could be so  **rude** sometimes. “Are headed to Verrinto to discover this claim. I suggest you talk to your mother, and maybe today you’ll actually learn something.” Roman glowered at his tutor before heading off. Anything to get out of that stuffy room, and to get away from that wretched man. He didn’t deserve to tutor someone as amazing as Roman. 

One of the castle staff was going to be tried. There hadn’t been a trial for treason since before his mother was queen, and that had been right after the war and people were still confused. He wondered who it was, what the treason was, when were they to have their punishment decided. It was all so exciting and new. That meant no talking to Tex today, but he could still pay Jess a visit. Jessamine was nice to talk to sometimes. First, however, Queen Bramble needed to be paid a visit. 

“Momma, what happened today?” Roman asked his mom when he reached her chambers. His dad was no doubt off with the knights. He was always gone, in some way or another. Queen Bramble turned to her son as he plopped down on her bed, making himself comfortable. 

“One of the members of our staff was caught sneaking back from Verrinto. He was trying to smuggle a Verrin over the border, believing they needed saving. Both are in the dungeon, in seperate cells.” She explained to her son. Roman was so handsome, so much like her. It scared her, to be honest. 

“Okay. Thanks Momma.” Roman hugged his mom, making her smile. He thought her smile was absolutely radiant. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He skipped off, fully planning on going to see Jessamine-and possibly her sister-when something stopped him. He wanted to meet the Verrin. He was always curious about what Verrinto was like, if it was anything like Locksley, since it had been part of his kingdom before. Besides, they were separated by a cell, how much harm could one Verrin cause? All Roman wanted was answers, right? With that in mind, he headed for the dungeons. No one stopped him, instead sending him in the right direction. Finally, he came to the cell, which was isolated from all the rest. The Verrin’s head was hanging low, blonde hair covering their face. They wore a black Polo shirt with a blue striped tie, and some khakis. Their feet were bare, covered in scratches. Their wings . . . it seemed as if they had been cut off. Roman reflexively touched his red wings. How did this person live without their wings? It also brought up questions about how bad Verrinto actually was. Was this considered normal there, not having wings? Roman noticed a turtle on the ground. The person’s animal guide. 

“What would you like, Your Majesty?” The person finally looked up, and Roman gasped. Their face was purple and bruised, splotched with blood and cuts. Their dark brown eyes almost looked black in the lighting. “To ridicule me? To make my life more miserable than it already is?” Their voice sounded emotionless, almost robotic. 

“What’s your name?” Roman asked, sitting on the stool. 

“Logan Blue.” They pointed to their turtle. “That’s Lightning. He’s quite fast, when he wants to be.” Lightning glared at Logan, huffing. Roman smiled, wishing Princess were with him right now. 

“I’m Roman Locksley, though it seems you already knew that.” Roman looked at the ground. Maybe Jessamine could heal them, they seemed to be in such a bad condition. What was it like in Verrinto? The question wouldn’t leave Roman’s mind now, and he knew it was wrong, he wasn’t supposed to wonder that, he was supposed to hate the Verrins. But this person-they seemed so upset, so done with life-it just made Roman’s heart hurt. “What happened to your wings?” 

“The king chopped them off. King Anwir-who only became king because he murdered his dad-hates Locksley as much as any Verrin does. It is one of the things that is done so that Verrins and Locksleyans may be as different as possible.” Logan explained truthfully. Roman frowned. What else was done to keep the two groups as different as possible? Logan saw the question in Roman’s eyes and continued explaining. “Our powers are meant to be used to harm, instead of help, like you all do. Our guide animals are banned from talking-if found talking they are killed-instead meant to be treated like pets.” Roman noticed the tears in Logan’s eyes as they picked up Lightning and cradled him close. Verrinto seemed like a horrible place, how did nobody know about this awful treatment already? Roman couldn’t stand for this. 

“I’m sorry.” Logan could hear the sincerity in the prince’s voice, and nodded. No one had ever felt bad for him before. “I’m going to get one of our healer’s, and maybe they can heal your face. I don’t know if your wings can ever grow back, however.” Roman regretted that, but at least Logan wouldn’t be in severe pain anymore. That’s what mattered, right? Not really, he was to be tried the next day, most likely sentenced to death for crimes he hadn’t committed. Who could blame him for wanting to come to Locksley? Roman’s frown grew. He would request a private dinner with his mother and discuss it with her. “I’ll be right back, okay Logan?” Logan nodded, watching the young prince leave. The plan was set.


	2. Chapter Two

Roman burst into the infirmary, looking around for Jessamine. He required her services immediately. Only a young boy with dark brown hair was around, and Roman thought he seemed familiar.

“What can I do for you, Your Majesty?” He turned towards Roman and Roman remembered that this was Jess’s younger brother. Patton, if he recalled correctly.  He would have to do. 

“I require medical assistance. One of our prisoners is severely injured, and I would like if they didn’t look completely terrible.” Roman bit his lip, not wanting to admit that he had grown to like Logan, just a bit. He felt bad for them, anyway. Verrinto shouldn’t be allowed to exist, but no one knew that, apparently. Patton grinned. 

“Of course I’ll heal them! That’s my job after all.” Roman gave Patton a half-smile before leading the way to the dungeons. Meanwhile-since it would take a while for the two to actually reach Logan’s cell-Logan was out of their cell, smiling at seemingly nobody. There was a person there, he was just invisible, as was his cat. When a person uses their powers, their animals “use” the power too. These animals are a lot more intelligent than people credit them. The invisible boy grabbed Logan’s hand, making him invisible too. This wasn’t normal, because most people didn’t know that by touching someone, you can use your power on them too. Logan had the power to go through things, and by touching the boy, the boy could too. Invisible and walking through walls, they explored the Locksley castle. The visited the kitchens first, taking a bit of food because neither had eaten in two days. Then they visited the infirmary. 

“We should split apart so we cover more ground.” Logan whispered, taking his hand out of the boy’s. The boy appeared, face grim as he nodded in agreement. They had come for something very specific. They searched each bottle, hoping to find what they had come for. Finally, Logan found the black, inky substance, the label scratched so much so that it was unreadable. The other boy stilled, hearing footsteps. He wanted to reach over and snatch Logan’s hand, but that would mean making noise and making noise was not an option. Logan heard the footsteps too, glancing over at their partner and crime. Luckily, the footsteps left, and the two could breath once more. 

“Come on, Logan, we need to get out of here. It’s been too long already.” The boy anxiously ran a hand through his curly brownish blackish hair, watching his friend’s every move. Logan shook his head. This was the first time they were ever truly safe, why couldn’t they stay for a little bit longer? They knew the answer to their own question, of course, but that didn’t stop them from asking it. The boy knew what his friend was thinking-he was thinking the same thing. But there was a life on the line, meaning they had to get this done. However long the two stood there, silently communicating, was obviously too long. The door burst open, revealing Roman, Patton, and a third girl. Everyone stood, shocked, except for the boy who had gone invisible. Roman was betrayed, there was no doubt about that, but he didn’t understand why he felt betrayed. Was it because he had let himself trust Logan? He didn’t know. 

“I’m going to need you to stop there.” Roman’s voice was dangerously low. Logan lowered their eyes from Roman’s gaze, looking at where they assumed their friend would be. Logan nodded, seemingly to themself, before running and jumping out the window. They crashed to the ground, but luckily didn’t severely injure themself. Roman watched, figuring out Logan’s power as soon as they passed through the window. A couple seconds later, and the window seemingly shattered on its own, but really, the boy had leapt out the window after his friend. They had a mission after all, and the boy needed Logan so both could pass through the border. The boy grabbed Logan’s hand, and both disappeared, using their invisibility to go into the forest. Sure, it was the opposite direction of the border, but it would hopefully take everyone off their trail. 

Roman, after seeing them disappear, took no hesitation in jumping out the same window, using his wings to land safely. Not that he needed them, with his superhuman agility he would’ve landed safely. Patton followed. 

“What are you doing, Prince Roman?” Patton asked curiously, following his prince into the forest. “Shouldn’t you wait for the knights?” 

“I am the prince, it is my duty to keep Locksley safe.” Roman responded. “You don’t have that duty, however, and should head back to the castle.” 

“And be the one who let the prince recklessly head out into the woods all alone, with no protection?” Patton shook his head. “Unless you are ordering me back to the castle, I’m staying with you. I have healing power, I can heal you should you get hurt. Knowing how dangerous and reckless this is, you probably will need my help.” Roman looked at Patton, actually looked at him. He had a determined look on his face, not backing down anytime soon. Roman continued into the woods, beckoning for Patton to follow him. It wouldn’t be so bad to have company, someone to watch his back, someone to talk to. Patton followed his Prince, watching to make sure he didn’t trip over anything. Patton was very clumsy, much like his sister. It didn’t help that Roman was power walking through the woods, looking for these traitorous Verrins. Patton had noticed that they had taken Alis Rem, a potion meant to heal wings, and could make parts of the wing grow back, if not all of it. He hadn’t ever had to see if his theory was true or not, but from what he saw, the person who jumped from the window hadn’t had wings. He couldn’t be sure of this-he had glasses for a reason-but that’s what it looked like. 

After about an hour or so of hiking, Patton heard voices. He stopped, listening carefully. They were faint, so he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was two people, and they weren’t moving. He started moving in the direction of the voices, wondering if these were the people they were looking for. Roman, noticing Patton straying away, started to follow. With his agility, he was able to move around without making a sound. He heard the voices after a while of stalking closer, and finally, they were able to see two people. 

“Calm down, V, it’s not that bad.” Roman recognized Logan, but didn’t know who the other person was. The new boy had brownish blackish hair that was super curly, and he appeared to be shaking. His back was facing Roman, so he didn’t get to see his facial features. Logan seemed to be comforting this boy, the bottle on the ground next to them. Patton leaned closer to Roman. 

“I think this is our stop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys. I don't know when the next chapter will be up-my updating schedule is hectic-and my mom is mad at me cause I'm failing band. It's not even my fault, it's hers. We get graded on going to games and playing pep band, and my mom told me I couldn't go because it's "voluntary." So now I'm failing band because that is literally our only grade for band right now. I'm p*ssed at my mom right now.   
> Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant, I'll let you all go right now. I hope you enjoyed!!!!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just finished this chapter. It's a bit longer than the other two, and i have to say, I'm really proud of this story so far. Anyway, that's enough of me chatting, I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

Virgil swore he heard something, but that was probably paranoia and anxiety. He was born an anxious baby, one of the reasons King Anwir targeted him. One of the reasons Thomas was gone. It was his fault Thomas was gone, missing-at least to the public. Anwir, Logan, and Virgil all knew where Thomas really was. 

A twig branch and Virgil was on his feet, whirling around. He saw a flash of red, knowing who it was immediately. The one Logan called the Locksleyan Prince. Virgil didn’t actually know his name, just that he spelt trouble. Logan had heard the noise too, grabbing their friend’s hand. Logan knew how anxious Virgil could get, and all they wanted was to save Thomas. Hopefully they would be able to do that, even if the two were being followed.

“Come on, V, let’s keep moving.” Logan murmured softly, tugging on Virgil’s hand, trying to get him to move. Before they could get anywhere, Roman was standing in front of them, sword brandished. 

“I don’t think you two are going anywhere.” He sneered. Virgil glanced at Logan nervously, hoping the prince wouldn’t try to steal the Alis Rem, they needed it to save Thomas. Well, all of Verrinto, actually. That was their end goal in all of this, but Thomas came first. “Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but the point stands that you stole from the castle and illegally snuck into our kingdom, so you must come with me to be tried.” The prince smirked. “And don’t try to flee, we have our knights on the way.” Virgil recognized his posture, saw the slight twitch of his nose. The prince was lying. If Virgil recalled correctly, they were all pursuing the case of the traitorous backstabber back at the border. It was only the prince, and maybe some other people, but no knights were in sight. 

“If your precious knights are on their way, why do you need to be here?” Virgil sneered. “Shouldn’t the precious prince be inside, away from the danger, keeping himself perfect as always? Let other people get their hands dirty.” Roman was taken aback. No one had ever spoken back to him before-except maybe his stupid tutor. Roman realized that this, this, this  _ villain _ was trying to check if this was a bluff or not. Well, ti was, but he couldn’t let Logan and this complete stranger know that. He had to be the bigger person here. 

“I don’t shy away from danger, you heathen.” Roman scoffed. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead, praying no one could see it. “I face it head on so everyone knows their future leader is fearless and always helps his people, and he’ll always look perfect no matter what.” Roman resisted the urge to tack on “so there”, fearing it’d make him seem less mature. This person already had a low opinion of the prince, no need to make it lower. Not that it mattered to Roman what a stupid Verrin thought of him. He’d be in the dungeons soon enough, and his mother would announce his predetermined fate-death. Roman looked towards the ground where the bottle had been before, noting its disappearance. Patton had done his job, then. Now Roman only had to stall while pretending to wait for backup that wasn’t going to come for at least another hour. He had no idea how he was going to pull it off, but a little challenge never hurt. He also admired the Verrin’s sharp tongue. Roman snuck a peek at Logan, who was holding the Verrin’s arm, ready to pull him away from the fight at any given moment.

“Perfect?” Virgil snorted, rolling his eyes. “Darling, you’re anything but.” He smiled at the prince’s offended noises, somewhat pleased with his handiwork. Years at Verrinto had taught him how to be tough, how to hit people where he wanted to, how to think on his feet. If need be, he could get he and Logan out of this situation without a scratch. He was just too anxious to actually think it would work. He had to admit, though, that the Locksleyan prince was quite handsome. It was the eyes. They were a bright, poisonous green that captured his attention, that hypnotized him into staying and bantering with the prince. He was smaller than Virgil by a head, his jet black hair swooped in an obviously styled manner. He was skinny, but one could assume that he was well fed, and he was most likely athletic too. Virgil was the complete opposite-he was underfed and the only thing going for him was his speed. Virgil had run from more people than he could count, had built up some stamina. Virgil swore his second power was running, he ran from all his problems so frequently. He could probably outrun the prince if need be. A fight, on the other hand? Virgil was as good as dead. Logan was better at fighting because of his weapon, and he was just as good a runner as Virgil. They could handle this.

“I’ll have you know I look much better than you,  _ Verrin _ .” Roman spat, though the word didn’t hold any malice in it. Roman couldn’t muster any up, he really was enjoying himself. This was a nice change of pace, quite the adventure as well. Queen Bramble held her son’s best interests at heart, but she sheltered Roman a bit, not letting him out like this at all. 

“Puh-lease, you wish you could look this good.” Logan tugged on their friend’s arm a bit, silently motioning to the ground. They had noticed what Roman had a while ago; the Alis Rem was gone. They couldn’t leave Locksley without it. A twinge of anxiety surged through Virgil. Sh*t. How could he have been so stupid? He had one job and he failed, how was he to save Thomas now? Virgil put on a mask of indifference, gently nudging Logan. They understood the message, having known Virgil almost all their life-silent communication had been perfected a couple years ago. Logan slunk off-not unnoticed by Roman-hoping to find who took the Alis Rem. Truth be told, Logan had never seen Virgil so confident before, and they hated leaving their friend alone like that, especially considering he was unpredictable with his severe anxiety. Nevertheless, Logan trusted Virgil. It also meant they had motivation. 

Logan wandered for a while, wondering if they were going in the right direction when they heard humming. It was soft and sweet, but a tune Logan was unfamiliar with. They followed the sound, hoping it would lead them to whoever had taken the already stolen Alis Rem. Logan was faced with the sight of a boy smaller than even the Lockselyan prince; how was it Verrins were taller than Locksleyans if they originated from the same place? Regardless, the boy was holding the bottle and humming the entrancing tune, reminding Logan what they needed to do. Get the bottle back. Logan decided the best tactic was to talk to the boy, distract him with idle conversation while taking the bottle back. They were a master pickpocketer, a skill needed in Verrinto if you wanted to survive. They sucked in a breath, making their way to the boy. It was now or never.

“Hello.” They greeted the boy politely, watching as they jumped ever so slightly. The boy’s hair was dark brown, accompanied with sparkling light blue eyes. It was a stark contrast, especially when you threw in the boy’s dazzling smile. Logan realized how risky this was; he was a wanted fugitive after all. Nonetheless, the boy didn’t seem to recognize him-a good sign. “I seem to be lost. Would you mind giving me directions?” The boy smiled, pointing in the direction Logan had originally been heading. 

“The castle’s down that way, and a little more ways down is the village.” Logan moved a bit closer, hoping their intent wasn’t clear to the boy. “My name’s Patton, by the way.” Logan smiled softly. They were close enough now that they could easily snag the bottle from Patton’s hand. 

“Would you mind accompanying me? I’m not so good with directions.” That wasn’t a lie, Logan wasn’t good with directions. They were “directionally challenged” as Virgil would often say. Logan easily slipped the bottle from the boy’s hands as they awaited the answer, Patton never even noticing. In fact, he looked very much uncomfortable.

“While I would love to escort you, I have to stay here.” Patton looked so upset that Logan felt a bit sorrowful that they had caused this. Nevertheless, they had a job to get done. “Prince’s orders. But maybe I could make it up to you sometime?” Logan shrugged, backing away. 

“The chances of you seeing me again are infinitesimal. Thanks for the offer, though.” Logan turned and headed in the direction Patton had pointed out, but eventually looped around to go back to Virgil. Now they just needed to get back into Verrinto, a feat that would be much harder to accomplish. 


	4. Chapter Four

The prince had left Virgil after Virgil let slip that Logan was trying to escape. Now he was anxiously awaiting Logan’s return, knowing they wouldn’t leave Virgil in Locksley alone. Logan was too overprotective for their own good. Virgil sat down on the log again, burying his face in his hands. He missed Thomas. 

“Hello again, Virgil.” The anxious boy looked up to see Logan holding up the bottle in their hand. He sighed, letting go of tension he didn’t even realize he had. He stood up, wanting to hug Logan, but knowing the other wasn’t fond of touch. “Where has the prince gone?” 

“In search of the escapee.” Virgil smirked. “Now come, I’ve had enough interaction for the day.” Night was approaching quickly, and it would be easier to cross the border if they had the cover of darkness with them. Logan probably deduced that, but neither were going to say it; you didn’t know who was listening. The two friends walked in silence for a while, pausing every now and again to make sure they weren’t being followed. They’d had plenty of similar experiences in Verrinto; evading people, skulking in the shadows, making sure they weren’t caught by patrol. Honestly, Verrinto had never been a good place, but it all became worse once Anwir’s dad became king, and things spiraled when Anwir inherited the throne. Virgil shuddered just thinking about the cold-hearted ruler of his home, if he could call it that. 

“Virgil, I don’t think we can continue.” Logan had stopped, making Virgil stop too. “We’re tired, we’re far enough no one will find us. We should take a quick two hour break, regenerate for a bit. We can’t wear ourselves out when it’s only eight-thirty.” Virgil knew they should, but the sooner they made it over the border, the less he’d have to worry. One look at Logan, and Virgil knew they’d have to stop. His friend was dead on his feet, and both were used to having no energy yet pushing through everything. 

“Alright.” Virgil conceded. “Two hours, then we must get going. We need to make the best of the dark.” Logan smiled gratefully at their friend, laying down in the grass. It was cool but not freezing. It was actually quite comfortable: the smell of the forest, the soft ground, the cool, yet still warm night air. Logan knew they couldn’t get used to this, but he couldn’t help falling asleep to dreams of what it would be like to live in Locksley. 

Meanwhile at a later time, the prince and Patton were hopelessly lost in the great Locksleyan forest. Patton had only left the palace a few times to get medicinal herbs and such, while Roman had never been outside the walls. Based on the position of the moon, Roman guessed it was about nine at night. He dearly wanted to stop, but Patton insisted they keep going. After a few minutes of walking, Roman tripped on something, face planting on the ground. 

“God d*mnit!” Roman swore loudly as he picked himself up. A loud shriek was his response as he realized he tripped over a person. More specifically, the Verrin who’d sent him running earlier. Light brown eyes met poisonous green, and before either could register what happened, blood was pouring out of the prince’s nose and both Verrins were fleeing for their lives. The prince and the healer were quick to follow, both well built for running. Patton was a bit better, bullied so many times when he was younger, running becoming the norm for him. Jessamine didn’t know, and Patton was determined to keep it that way. Roman was taken aback by how fast the two Verrins actually were, having expected them to be in the dungeons by now. There was a lot Roman needed to learn about pursuing people. 

“Patton, there’s no way we can catch them.” Roman struggled to get the words out, getting slightly tired. Patton shook his head, taking out his specialized weapon and throwing it. The pocket knife embedded itself in Virgil’s hand, making the boy stop in shock. It wasn’t the worst wound he’d ever gained; that didn’t make it hurt less, however. Logan stopped to assess the damage as Patton and Roman caught up to the fugitives. “Nice work, Patton.” Virgil hissed at the Locksleyan prince as Logan ripped off part of their shirt and used it to wrap Virgil’s hand. They both knew that was the only thing they could do, hoping it would heal on its own. Patton felt bad but soon realized he had a bargaining chip. 

“I can heal that.” Patton offered. “That’s my power: healing.” Virgil cocked a brow, checking for lie in the man’s ocean blue eyes. There was none. He could honestly heal Virgil’s wound, but it would come with a price. Everything always came with a price, and right now, they were delaying on time. Time was precious, didn’t anyone know that? 

“I don’t doubt that.” Virgil started, not sure how he could phrase this. How did you politely turn down help because you were too anxious and paranoid to accept it? Oh wait, he had every reason to be paranoid, these guys were hunting them down. “But you’re also trying to bring us in, so forgive me if I don’t quite trust you.” Patton looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed. The dark, edgy boy spoke no lies. 

“You’re trespassers, of course we’re trying to hunt you down!” Roman piped up, feeling quite frustrated with the whole situation. “It was stupid and reckless to just come here and steal from the castle. Why would you do it in the first place?” Roman watched as Logan and the edgelord shared a glance before sighing, settling themselves down on the ground. 

“The king kidnapped my brother.” Virgil confessed, voice barely above a whisper. “He demanded we get some Alis Rem so he could grow his wings back, become the most feared in the kingdom. I was hoping we could keep some and use it so others could grow their wings, and we take him down. He wouldn’t realize, of course, if we’d taken some for ourselves, so long as it wasn’t too much. He’s a lot of things, stupid not being one of the them.” Logan nodded silently to show that Virgil wasn’t lying, though the Locksleyans had no reason to trust them. They were sworn enemies after all. Patton felt terrible about the whole situation; he wouldn’t like it if he was trying to fix his kingdom and instead had to rot in the dungeons. The Locksleyan prince was more hesitant. They would say anything to get what they wanted, after all. History clearly stated that Verrins were manipulative and deceitful, not to be trusted. Yet, if they were telling the truth, he wanted to help. It had been his childhood dream to reunite the two kingdoms back into one, and this was definitely a step in the right direction. 

“Tell you what.” The prince finally spoke, gaining everyone’s attention. “My friend and I will help you get your brother back. We’ll even help you fix your broken kingdom, but, you will owe us whatever we ask of you, no matter how difficult the task may be. If you agree to this deal, you won’t be captured and thrown into the dungeon. Are you willing to shake on it?” Virgil looked at Logan, before looking at the Locksleyan prince, taking his hand.

“We have a deal.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally updated this! I had almost the entire chapter done, but I just didn't know how I wanted it to end, but I finally settled on something. I'll try to update this more, but no promises!


	5. Chapter Five

Roman was not cut out for long walks in the forest. The stray branches kept cutting him, little scrapes that Patton insisted on healing. The villain, as Roman liked to refer to him as, kept his hand away from Patton, insisting he could deal with it, and it would seem more believable to the king if he had wounds. He wouldn’t give his name, saying V was enough of a reference. Gone was the snarky boy Roman had bantered with earlier. This creature was shy and reserved, the exact opposite of what Roman knew. Said boy put up his hand, looking towards Logan. Roman looked up to see the border wall, guards patrolling it, the knights long since left the crime scene. 

“How do we get past them?” Patton whispered, pointing towards the guards. Logan turned towards Patton and Roman. 

“Carefully and quietly. If you touch both Virgil and I, we can cast our powers to incorporate you. I have intangibility-we can get through the wall. Virgil has invisibility-we won’t be seen by anyone. However, you cannot let go of us at anytime until we say otherwise, or the powers will stop working.” Logan explained, linking hands with the Locksleyans, Virgil standing in front of them. Patton grabbed for Virgil immediately, while Roman was more hesitant. He didn’t like this, not one bit. Roman still didn’t trust Logan, much less Virgil, whose name he still didn’t know. 

“If you’re too scared, you can always go back to the safety of your mommy.” Virgil’s tone was condescending, with an underlying impatience to it. Roman glared at the curly-haired boy, fisting the fabric of his shirt. He wouldn’t tolerate such disrespect, not when he was above this filthy beast. Princes deserved all the respect. He was regretting his decision when they started toward the wall, worried this was some elaborate murder scheme. He watched as Virgil didn’t hit the wall, but rather passed through it instead. Almost like a ghost. As Roman passed through the wall, he looked at the insides of the wall, finding it fascinating. For a moment, Roman thought about Princess, and what would happen to her if he was gone. What did guide animals do when their owners weren’t around. 

“May I welcome you, to Verrinto.” Roman looked up, spotting the castle first. It was in the middle of the village, shining brightly in yellow gold. “You’ll want to hide your wings, so you don’t stand out.” Roman was quick to tuck his red wings out of sight, taking in everything around him. Everyone looked miserable, it was all dirty and dusty, nothing like the beautiful Locksley Roman knew and loved. Guide animals were chained up. Roman hated everything about Verrinto. Roman watched at the curly haired villain picked up a black cat, holding him tightly. Lightning was sitting on Logan’s shoulder, watching everything with bored eyes. 

“What do we do now?” Patton asked, cowering against Logan. It was all pretty terrifying, the thought that people had to live like this. 

“We head to Logan’s, take some of the Alis Rem for ourselves, and get some rest. Thunder will wake us at dawn.” Logan took the lead from Virgil, power walking to their little hideout. Roman had to run to catch up, not fit enough for this. A prince shouldn’t be fatigued by a bit of faster-than-normal walking? He made a note to inform his mother of this little tidbit, quite ashamed of himself for being so weak. V, who looked too frail for anything, was more fit than he! Roman wouldn’t stand for it! 

Logan’s house wasn’t far, maybe a five minute walk from the border, though they knew a way to make it longer. A lot of times, Logan took the longer route in case they were being tailed by the king’s spies, but they knew everyone was exhausted, and they only had a couple hours until the sun began to rise. It was around midnight, and the sun rose in approximately five hours. 

“Say, why is anyone awake at such an hour? Shouldn’t they be sleeping?” Patton whispered, still staying close to Logan. 

“No one has a specific sleep schedule. Verrinto isn’t a comforting place such as Locksley; it is a place where one feels unsafe. Often, it is hard to get more than two or three hours of sleep at a time.” Logan explained, feeling slightly bad for scaring Patton. Yet, it was the lift they lived, the life they were used to and needed to share with the others. “In fact, only the king sleeps peacefully, as he causes the feelings of unease.” Logan started looking around. The house was small, with only one bed, that had one ratty, hole infested blanket, and not even a pillow. Pillows were a luxury, not something that could be afforded. However, the blanket seemed to have disappeared. 

“Is this really how you live?” Roman asked, looking around. There was a cabinet, a small table, a bed, and a little desk cluttered with papers and bottles of who knew what. Sure, he was a prince, and had whatever his heart desired. Yet, he knew the people in his kingdom lived better than this, even the really poor. Clothes were folded in a basket, and they looked nothing short of rags. It was truly upsetting. 

“Not everyone’s a prince, your highness.” Virgil snarked, grabbing a bowl and pouring some water in it for the cat. The cat was nothing but skin and bones, lapping at the water as if she hadn’t had anything in years. Roman was about to retort when something was thrown at him. “Not much, but it’d probably be easier for you to sleep if you were on an actual bed with an actual blanket.” Logan had seated themself at their desk, shifting through some of their papers. “If you’re ambitious enough, I’m sure you and Patton could both fit on the bed.” Roman looked at Patton, silently asking if the two should share a bed. Patton shook his head, sitting himself on the floor. 

“And what about the two of you?” He asked as Roman made himself as comfortable as possible on the bed. He was out within a matter of seconds. “Where are you going to sleep?” 

“Not tired.” They responded at the same time, continuing sifting through the papers and moving the bottles out of their way. Patton felt bad that these two seemingly sweet people had to live with such horrid conditions. Poor V, had his brother kidnapped, and Logan’s house was so barren. Patton wished they could make it better, but alas, there was nothing he could think of. Verrinto seemed like a cold, desolate, scary place to live. He considered himself lucky to be best friends with his prince and live in the castle. He wouldn’t be able to survive somewhere like Verrinto. 

Patton watched as they worked, admiring how quiet how they could be. Virgil rarely talked, handing things to Logan when needed and jotting down notes. Logan mixed bottles of things together, face scrunched in concentration. They muttered things to themself, wrinkling their nose when things didn’t go the way they wanted. Patton sighed, knowing he needed to sleep but feeling bad for the Verrins. Eventually, he drifted off into a fitful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm sorry that I haven't updated this in two months, but I started three other stories, one of which is finished. I kind of pushed aside my older works to start newer ones, which isn't a good thing to do. But, here's another chapter, and I plan to work on this more. If you want to check out my other stories: A New Story (fin), Deja Vu (A New Story Sequel), and Don't Look (Inspired by Bird Box). Thanks for reading so far!


	6. Chapter Six

I need to take a break. There's been so much stress and anxiety in my life, and not enough time for the things I enjoy, and I just need to take a break.

Solo and Ensemble is fast approaching, and I've got four different events to prepare for, which takes up a lot of my time.

I have a fusion concert for band coming up, where we're playing with this famous band, so I have to practice for that. Also, playing with a famous band is scary because you have to impress them.

Finals are this week. Do I even need to explain that? 

I'm sorry. I don't update enough as it is, and now I'm ducking out for no good reason. I'm really sorry. 

I don't know when I'll be updating again, but it's not going to be for a while. 

Thanks for understanding.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! I don't have a consistent updating schedule, so be prepared for sporadic updates!


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